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The time has come... for the Dawn of Perim™
to give way to the Zenith of the Hive™…
The struggle for the Cothica continues as the OverWorlders and UnderWorlders remain
locked in endless combat. This constant fighting has led them to overlook the other
Tribes of Perim, although not on purpose. The Mipedians have been quietly observing
the events unfolding and have been meticulously preparing to disrupt the order of
things in an attempt to be recognized as a leading Tribe. Unbeknownst to the other
3 Tribes, the Danians are preparing for their ultimate stand guided by Illexia the
Danian Queen, using the overwhelming power of the Hive and its brutal parasitic
Infection.
Zenith of the Hive introduces a number of new abilities and keywords that will change
the way you play forever. In particular, the Danians have mastered the ability to
Infect other Creatures with Hive Parasites. These Parasite-Infected Creatures count
as Mandiblors you control. This allows you to Infect your opponent’s Creatures to
increase your Mandiblor count helping boost Mandiblor counting Hive abilities like
Wamma’s. The key to most Danian armies is the number of Mandiblors you control;
the more you control the stronger they become.
Infect
Some Creatures in this set can Infect other Creatures. When a Creature becomes Infected,
put a Parasite Token Card under it. An Infected Creature can not be Infected again.
When counting Mandiblors, Creatures you’ve Infected count towards your total (whether
these are your Creatures or your Opponents.)
Dubin – Dubin is a Controller
in the Danian Tribe and has mastered the art of Infection. By spending a Mugic™
counter, Dubin can Infect any Creature. Having been tasked by Illexia to spread
the Infection throughout Perim, Dubin has learned to draw on the power of the Infection
by gaining 5 Energy whenever an opponent controls an Infected Creature.
Dubin is a great addition to any Infection-based Army because his ability allows
you to instantly Infect Creatures in play. With his low Energy and Disciplines,
Dubin is not well suited for combat and is better placed in one of the back rows
of your Army.
Mahrrant – Mahrrant is a
Mandiblor Muge who has learned to convert defeated Infected Creatures into Mugic
counters. Mahrrant is also a Hive stabilizer as he can spend a Mugic counter to
Activate Hive when needed. Illexia values Mahrrant’s abilities and as such he is
usually summoned to Activate Hive during combat because he can regain his Mugic
counters by having his comrades defeat Infected Creatures.
If you are looking for new and exciting Creature abilities, look no further than
Mahrrant. In a Danian Army focused on Infection and the Hive, Mahrrant can single-handedly
Activate Hive for you the entire game. He begins the game with one Mugic counter
which can be used to Activate Hive on the first turn. Be sure to Infect Creatures
that you are sure will be defeated each turn and Mahrrant will always have a Mugic
counter to Activate Hive on each turn. To be sure that at least one Creature is
defeated in the first combat of any game, Infect both of the engaged Creatures,
including yours. This way no matter what happens, an Infected Creature will be placed
into a discard pile and Mahrrant will gain a Mugic counter.
Illexia – Illexia is the
Danian Queen and ruler of Mount Pillar. She is rarely seen by those outside of Mount
Pillar because she is so heavily guarded by her fellow Tribe members. There have
been numerous attempts on her life, and though none have been successful, the threat
remains.
Illexia is rarely seen in combat because all of her guards gain “Defender” when
they are guarding her and they always step in and fight to save her life. Illexia
provides a massive Mandiblor count while Hive is active because each Mugic counter
on her counts as a Mandiblor you control. As the source of the Hive, she can convert
defeated Mandiblors and Infected Creatures into Mugic counters. These counters are
best used to boost your Mandiblor count while Hive is active but they can be used
in a pinch to Activate Hive when necessary. She is loyal only to the Danians and
therefore cannot enter mixed armies.
Defender
When a Creature you control is attacked while adjacent to another Creature you control
that has the Defender ability, you may swap the two Creatures’ positions and have
the Creature with Defender fight in the original Creature’s place.
Aggroar – Aggroar lives
in the Glacier Plains protecting the Frozen Fire. The Frozen Fire is a special Mugical
area within the Glacier Plains and Maxxor™ has entrusted Aggroar with protecting
it. He is a brilliant Strategist who is well trained in the “Defender” ability to
the extent that he occasionally teaches others to use this versatile ability.
Aggroar is skilled with the Earth Element and grants Strategists you control (including
himself!) the “Defender” ability. Defender allows Creatures to take the place of
an attacked Creature and fight in place of the originally attacked Creature. Defender
is one of the best abilities to use to protect your back row support Creatures if
they are attacked.
Elementproof X
When your Creature becomes engaged, and if your Creature has Elementproof X and
your opponent’s Creature has the matching Elemental Type, your Creature gains X
Energy until end of turn. For example, if your Creature has Fireproof 10 and engages
an opponent’s Creature with Elemental Type Fire, your Creature gains 10 Energy that
lasts until the end of turn.
Mount Pillar Reservoir –
Located below Mount Pillar, the Reservoir is the life-giving well for the Danians.
The Reservoir is protected by the Elementalist Tassanil and he sees to it that no
one disturbs this precious Water supply. Water is everywhere in the Reservoir and
Danians gain “Water 5” while they are here. When Creatures battle in the Reservoir
they gain “Fireproof 10” because of the high concentration of Water which helps
protect Creatures from Fire.
Mount Pillar Reservoir is a great addition to Water-based Danian Armies because
all of their Water Attacks will do an additional 5 points of damage. This card can
also be effective in Armies which battle Creatures with Fire frequently because
engaged Creatures gain an additional 10 Energy if their opponent has the Fire Element
from the “Fireproof 10” ability.
Invisibility: Disarm
Disarm is a combat ability that shuts down an opponent’s Battlegear during combat.
If Invisibility is not negated, Disarm prevents an opposing Battlegear from doing
anything, including abilities that happen “At the beginning of combat.” The Battlegear
is still revealed at the beginning of combat and stays on the equipped Creature.
Kolmo – Kolmo is a Mipedian
Elite who has mastered the art of “Invisibility: Disarm” and a host of other stealthy
abilities. Kolmo has made it his life’s work to spy on the Danians since the Infection
began. Prince Mudeenu recently sent Kolmo on a secret mission to assassinate all
of the Danian Nobles, most importantly Illexia, the Danian Queen in an attempt to
halt the spread of the Infection.
Kolmo is a devastating force on the Battleboard. With his “Range” and “Swift 1”
abilities, he can attack an opponent’s second row Creatures if he is placed in your
front row. Equipping him with a Windstrider will allow him to attack any Creature
in your opponent’s Army on your first turn. If Kolmo is engaged with a Danian Noble,
he gains “Invisibility: Strike 20” which is almost always more than enough to win
the combat. Unless Kolmo’s Invisibility is negated, he will “Disarm” his opponent’s
Battlegear, rendering it useless for that combat. Kolmo is skilled with the Air
Element and is best played with an Attack Deck containing many Air Attack Cards.
Scanned Energy
Scanned Energy refers to a Creature’s printed Energy as it appears at the bottom
right corner on the card.
Strike of the Meek – Strike of the Meek is a high Build Cost card with a Build Point
of 5, but it can pack a punch if played by the right Creature. Strike of the Meek
will only deal maximum damage if played by a Creature who has a Scanned Energy of
30 or less, which are usually your back row support Creatures. This is a great addition
to your Attack Deck in case your support Creatures enter combat. If you draw this
early in the game, hold onto it in your hand until you can play it for maximum damage
of 55, which will usually end the combat with your Creature being victorious.
0-Cost Mugic
A Mugic Card with a zero [0MC]
as the Mugic cost still belongs to its Tribe. Even though you don’t have to spend
any Mugic counters to play the Mugic, you must choose a Creature from the appropriate
Tribe to play the Mugic Card. If you do not control any appropriate Creatures, you
may not play the Mugic Card.
Hive Unsung – Hive Unsung is a zero cost Danian Mugic Card which allows you
to Deactivate Hive. Since this card has a zero Mugic cost, you can play it by selecting
a Danian Creature you control without having to pay any Mugic counters to play it.
Hive Unsung is a special Mugic Card because it has an option that allows you to
pay one Mugic counter when playing it instead of not paying for it; if you do, it
will return to your hand after it resolves instead of being put into the discard
pile. This will allow you to use it multiple times during a game! This card is best
used to turn Hive on multiple times during a turn so that you can trigger “When
Hive is activated…” abilities, such as Ramarhvir’s, more than once per turn.
X-Cost Mugic
Mugic Cards with an X [XMC] as the
Mugic cost allow you to pay any amount of Mugic counters as the cost.
Elemental Denial – Elemental Denial is a dangerous UnderWorld Mugic Card
used to disrupt a Creature’s Elements and its ability to deal damage with its attacks.
Elemental Denial allows you pay any number of Mugic counters to remove the same
number of Elemental Types from a Creature. Have you ever faced a Heptadd that played
an Allmageddon for 50 damage? If you play Elemental Denial and spend 4 Mugic counters
while playing it and target a Heptadd, you can reduce the damage Heptadd can deal
with an Allmageddon by 40 so that the attack will only deal 10 damage! This play
is best made in response to a Heptadd playing an Allmageddon so that you do not
waste the Mugic Card or counters until it is necessary.
TIP: Equip Chaor™ with a Mugician’s Lyre to have an UnderWorlder with 4 Mugic counters.
TV Show Cards
Zenith of the Hive introduces a few marquee cards from the Chaotic® cartoon on 4Kids.tv.
Sword of Khy’at – The legendary
sword of Tangath Toborn, the Sword of Khy’at premieres on a devastating level. Creatures
equipped with the sword gain 5 Energy and 15 Speed. Warriors equipped with the sword
(like Tangath Toborn) gain a special ability. Whenever a Warrior deals 20 or more
attack damage, you may deal an additional 5 damage to any Creature, including the
opposing Creature in combat. Use the Attack Card Granite Balls to easily deal 20
damage with Tangath Toborn. Since most combats last at least 3-4 attacks, if your
engaged Creature is a Warrior equipped with the Sword of Khy’at and can deal 20
damage on each of its attacks, you can deal an additional 15-20 damage to any Creature
on the board. That’s like having a free Canon of Casualty every combat!
Granite Balls – Although
not featured in the TV show, Granite Balls is a powerful Earth attack, especially
when played by a Warrior. It has 5 Base Damage, 5 Earth Damage, and will deal an
additional 10 damage if the Creature playing the attack is a Warrior. There is a
slight drawback to the card which allows the opposing engaged Creature to spend
one Mugic counter to prevent the 10 extra damage. This drawback can sometimes be
a blessing in disguise. If an opponent chooses to prevent the 10 damage, they must
spend a valuable Mugic counter, hindering their ability to play Mugic and abilities.
Granite Balls is a great Attack Card to play with Tangath Toborn.
Stingblade Prototype – The Stingblade Prototype first appears in the Chaotic
TV Series while Sarah is exploring Mount Pillar. The Stingblade Prototype is a powerful
Battlegear that is most effectively used by the Danians in combination with the
Hive. When the Stingblade Prototype is in play face up, whenever Hive is activated,
the next Attack Card that is played will only deal 10 damage instead of the normal
amount of damage it would have dealt. This Battlegear can be used effectively to
increase the amount of damage dealt from one of your attacks, or to decrease the
amount of damage from one of your opponent’s attacks.
Sha-Kree Flats – The Sha-Kree
Flats are a dry and desolate desert. Mipedians have Initiative here when engaging
in combat. Elementalists gain a significant elemental boost when engaging in combat
at the Sha-Kree Flats. At the beginning of combat, engaged Elementalists may gain
one Elemental Type until end of turn. Try using the Mipedian Elementalist Uro at
the Sha-Kree Flats. He will win Initiative, has Invisibility: Strike 5 and he can
gain an Elemental Type of your choice. Try building different Elemental Attack Decks
and choose the appropriate Element for your Attack Deck and find which Element you
like to have Uro gain. I usually tend to build an Air Attack Deck and have Uro gain
Air when he engages in combat at the Sha-Kree Flats.
New Features for Zenith of the Hive
Zenith of the Hive introduces a few new features not found in previous Chaotic Sets.
Parasite Token Cards – Zenith of the Hive™ includes
two collectable Parasite Token Cards. These cards can be used to track the Hive’s
Infection during gameplay. Whenever a Creature becomes Infected, place an Infected
Token Card under it to mark that it has been Infected. These cards come in two different
colors so that two players can both play Infection based Armies and have different
colored Parasite Token Cards to help track which Creatures have been Infected by
each player. One in every three Zenith of the Hive booster packs may contain a Parasite
Token Card.
New Set Symbol – Each Chaotic booster set will have its own unique Set and Rarity
symbol, which can be found on every Chaotic Card in the upper right hand corner.
The Zenith of the Hive symbol looks like the Dawn of Perim symbol however it has
two dots instead of one. Rarity colors have not changed; however Super Rare cards
now say “Super” below the symbol similar to how Ultra Rare cards have the word “Ultra”
below the symbol. For reference the Rarity color breakdown is:
- Black: Common
- Green: Uncommon
- Yellow: Rare
- Silver with Super: Super Rare
- Silver with Ultra: Ultra Rare
Full Foil Rares – Zenith of the Hive takes Chaotic Cards to the next level! All Rare cards are now printed on Silver Foil instead of just having a copper foil name. This means that every Zenith of the Hive booster pack will contain 2 FULL FOIL cards!
Giving way…
The Danians are in full force and ready to wreak havoc on the world of Perim. There
are many exciting cards that can be found with this Set and I encourage you to explore
the vast array of new abilities. New combos and Armies are waiting to be discovered.
Will you be the first one to unleash them?
Brian Fahmie
Chaotic|Dragonix
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